Arsenal Boss Gives Up On Catching United... What's Happened To Them?

Since then, someone has knocked a bit of sense in to him, with the Frenchman now acknowledging his side’s chances of catching United are slim to none.

“United look untouchable at the moment because they are already a long way ahead and have this game against Fulham, which they will certainly win,” said Wenger. “That means they will be 15 points ahead of us and, for us to catch them, we would need them to lose five games. Let’s say they lose one of those against Arsenal, we’d still need them to lose another four — and they haven’t done that so far this season.”

Of course, he might be trying to add a bit of spice in to the situation still, wrongly claiming that we will certainly beat Fulham in order to put the pressure on us and possibly give further inspiration to our opponents, however, it more or less comes as an admission of failure.

Last season, Arsenal lead the table until February, before crumbling under the ridiculous leadership of Gallas (something Wenger should have drawn a line under long before the former rentboy slagged off his team mates!) and their title race was ended once and for all at Old Trafford. After Adebayor scored with his hand to give Arsenal the lead, United fought back to win 2-1 and the Gooners were resigned to finishing third.

At the start of this season, RoM predicted that Arsenal were not going to be a threat this season, but even then couldn’t have imagined just how hard and fast their fall would be. No doubt the injuries to the likes of Fabregas, Eduardo and van Persie have an effect, but then, United too have been without the likes of Rooney, Scholes, Rio, Anderson, Evra, Brown, Neville etc. for months at a time too. Injuries happen and a good manager has to prepare for these things. Arsenal were in no way prepared for any injuries following their fire sale in the summer and it is a manager’s responsbility to deal with those things.

We are well acquainted with Arsenal perspectives on this blog, with their fans all too happy to let us know what they think when NewsNow brings them in our direction. Any criticism about their club is met with responses about debt, but winning the European Cup earns you £80 million in total, whilst getting past the group stages earns you £30 million. Before even television revenue is included, qualifying for the Champions League sees you paid £2.6 million from UEFA, participating in the Group stages earns another £2 million, with every win bringing in £530,000 and every draw worth £250,000. Wenger has been praised by sections of the Arsenal support for being sensible in the transfer market to ease the repayment of the debt, but their debt becomes less manageable if they miss out on the millions of quid competing in the Champions League usually gives them. Buying an experienced player or two to bulk up their midfield is starting to look like a more sensible option to managing their debt than selling everyone and replacing them with kids!

It’s an end of an era, with the United vs Arsenal games meaning less and less each season. At present, they are five points away from a Champions League qualifying place and twelve points behind United, despite playing a game more. Whilst I certainly enjoy seeing them suffering, following the years of media-wanking over Arsenal’s beautiful football, there’s something rather sad about seeing Wenger admit defeat at the hands of United…

30 Comments

Arsenal were out of the race long time back. What I failed to understand is people talking off the gap between United & Arsenal. But this gap is irrelevant as long as the gap between Arsenal & other teams (excluding United of course) maintains. For Arsenal to win they need a slip from not only United but Liverpool, Chelsea & Villa. What Arsenal could do though is influence the title race by taking points of these teams whenever they play. Wenger is living in his own world by claiming his team are champions in the making, they have been champions in making for the last few years.

It is a bit of a two edged sword this one. While we laugh at him for eating his own words, this may also breed a bit of complacency into our lads. And Scott is spot on, this will certainly motivate the Fulham side to defend with their last drop of blood.

However I trust that our manager can read Wenger like a Sunday paper.

I hope we give Fulham and Blackburn a mauling, just to scare the socks of the FSW. But I will be happy with 1-nil wins for both games as I’m almost completely sure that both teams will come to defend and put 11 men plus their coaching staff behind the ball.

Besides Fabregas, Eduardo and Van Persie who you mentioned, we have had Rosicky out since last year, Walcott out when he had just started to gain some semblence of form, as well as injuries to Diaby, Toure, Djourou, Gallas, Silvestre etc. The biggest difference between our clubs is that Arsenal don't have subs worth 20 Million to count on when a player is injured and the only way for us to add depth is by giving the youngsters playing time and experience.

Our club is run very differently from you, the second biggest club in the world, but to be honest I'd much rather take our approach. We haven't spent anything close to the teams we have been competing with for the last 12 years! Trophies are very very important, and our defence is leaky, and we have no defensive mid, but, fuck, I love the Arsenal, and hopefully Wenger will bring us back to the top.

for the first time in god knows how long im going to side with arsenal...they have been hit by so many long term injuries to their key players and they as we all know are not financially able to compete with us, liverpool and chelsea and maybe even aston villa....yes we did have many players injured but their financial constraints dont allow for them to have a big squad as ours

i miss the late 90s - early 00s where the hatred and rivalry between this two clubs were at its peak...i truly believe that the epl wont be nearly as famous as it is now if it werent for manutd and arsenal's rivalry

wenger does need to get his head checked though if he thinks a team that
consists of denilson, song and diaby will win the league

Arsenal fan here. What you fail to realize is that Arsenal's midfield decides whether or not they succeed, not defense nor the forwards. Our back 4 last year consisted of Sagna, Toure, Gallas, and Clichy. For 2/3 of the season, that back four was one of the best in the league, 2nd only to United, imho. The more possession we have, the better our defense is. Simple really. Now I've noticed that our defense has improved in that aspect(a little too late), and we can now hold a lead(from what it looks like). Say what you will about Gallas, but he has been immense since he has lost the captaincy and I for one do not want him to leave. He shut up and got to work, and he's never played this well for us before. Toure has been improving as well since his horrendous start to the season. All in all, it has all to do with confidence. Rio, without confidence, in one of the shakiest defenders in England as I'm sure you are well aware of. Depth or no depth, with the likes of Rosicky, Theo, Cesc out, we were always going to struggle. Theo was one of our best players when he got injured, but oh well. When he got injured, we lost all our attack on the right and we relied on nasri on the left too much. Predictable. I still think we'll make the top 4 and do well in the CL, depending on who we draw and who is injured and whatnot. Villa making the top 4 would hurt the PL in the CL. I do not see them getting anywhere if they do qualify. I wish them the best, as long as we make the top 4 as well. We're stacked up front now and next season should be an improvement, but I'm not promising anything. We finally have 4 quality wingers in Theo, Rosicky(soon), Nasri, Arshavin. There is also Vela who really impresses me...but not Arsene apparently.

The game at Old Trafford could be a classic battle, especially if it decides the title winner and whether or not Arsenal get the 4th spot. It would be a great end to the season if we could prevent you lot from winning it. 3 in a row is a bit too much, no? =]

To be honest, if given the choice I would rather see Chelski continue down their freefall and let them be the ones to miss out on Champs League next year. So, come on arsenal, get some wins under your belt and climb up to third or fourth and knock out those boring russian cunts. Cheers

You don't say "Him" so I assume you're referring to Manchester Utd. They're top of the league and about to go 5 points clear by winning their game in hand tonight. I would've thought you would have known that. A real fan would have.

Pat: "The game at Old Trafford could be a classic battle, especially if it decides the title winner and whether or not Arsenal get the 4th spot. It would be a great end to the season if we could prevent you lot from winning it. 3 in a row is a bit too much, no?"

...

No!

Agree with the rest though, potentially a nail-biter of an end to the season.

what singles out the great managers from the very good managers is willing to take on challenges big or small, whatever challenge fergie has come up against his way he has seen off, you name it he has come up against he has won the war mourinho kenyon and abramovich were feisty at best, it took a bit of time to see them off but he has in the end he has seen them off and their mini empire collapse, fergie will get rivalry from mourinho in europe so the challenge is still there, wenger is an example of a very good manager but not in the league of fergie, wenger has built a mini empire but not grown it, an empire that fergie has built and he continues to grow build it and it has turned into a monster, while wengers empire has stood still and propably peaked and gone stale it has propably started to collapse, wenger cant handle a challenge or he has not got the balls to put his neck on the line and bring in a quality player like torres, so he goes for the safe option so if he fails he does not come under pressure from the media because he has not spent money, for example he thought ronaldo was too expensive back in 2003 and now he regrets not buying him very strange.

I think its short sighted to say this fixture will never have the same importance as in the past; you of all clubs should know that a team can have a baron patch where players simply aren't good enough or are still adapting. But the great managers (as SAF and Wenger certainly are) have the ability to turn it around and we have to trust them because they've had success in the past, and will again. Saving a great run and more than a bit of luck, this season is a write off for us Arsenal fans, but that doesn't mean next season will be as well.

Jonny
wenger is not a great manager a very good manager but he is not someone who handles pressure or challenges well. fergie is has cool has ice and he knows exactly what he is doing, wengers pollicy since 2004 he has help build the worst arsenal side under wenger.

Wenger turned an Arsenal side with a reputation for the long ball game into one of the most free flowing advocates of total football. He has promoted previously average players such as Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira into the world's best, as well as recruiting players like Cesc Fabregas, Kolo Toure and Gael Clichy from obscurity. He guided his team to an unbeaten season and remains the second most successful manager in Premier League history, as well as the 2nd longest serving, behind only Ferguson. He sticks by his young players when they fail to perform, so I can't see how he fails to handle pressure. The side right now is not the greatest but Wenger will turn it around.

Jonny
what year is it 2009. not being funny but 2004 was a while ago, yes the arsenal side of 2004 were an exiting side to watch but wenger does something that leaves him short he never improves the side when they were on top and he never built on his success in 2004. yea he has found some players and turned them into the best in the world but he needs far more to his game by reminding everyone of that, there have been managers at smaller clubs who have done the same find unknown players, unless he wins back to back titles a phew european cups he will never be classed has a great manager.

Stephen
Exactly that is another thing the great managers identify the flaws in the four areas of their team. isn’t that what wenger is supposed to do people said he is the master of it where is it these days the simple fact is his way is out dated and no longer works and he needs to really wake up, he has failed to find players to fill the holes in his squad, he can’t find a good gk a powerful defender a midfielder he has drained and put all the strain on fabrigas and he is out all season, where look at rooney he is helped out, there is no strain put on him because fergie has got quality everywhere and he has looked after Rooney, I bet fergie would ease fabrigas instead of expecting him to do everything, there is not enough width in his side and he is short of a striker. He can’t have been that good at spotting players if diarra was let go.

And jonny arsenal will not win the league they don’t win enough games and united don’t drop enough points, plus other sides have to drop off is well not just united. and arsenal are not special or good enough to do almost the impossible win the league off the monster that is united at the moment, just has united winning everything is not going to happen it is impossible is well. when you see that squad it is a monster squad fergie has put together, which stems back to wenger for not improving and leaving his squad rot like the titanic wreck. like I said before his policy has left arsenal on the vergoe of failing to qualify for europe and he has put together the weakest sides in wengers history has arsenal manager.

I know the current squad isn't up to standard; the potential is there but younger players such as Denilson, Diaby and Song are inconsistent. But if theres anyone who can transform these players then its Wenger. Look at Flamini; besides his brilliant run at left back a few seasons ago he looked like a poor man's Vieira for much of his time at Arsenal, but last season he realised his potential and hopefully fringe players like Bendtner and the others I mentioned can improve.

Realistically itll be difficult to win anything this season with the squad as it is, but its not impossible all the same.

flaminie was a different type of player then vierra how many vierras are out there, bendtner is at arsenal what richersdon was at united too big headed and thinking he is better then he actually is, when he walks around in pinks boots and driving cars he is not worthy off you know he is a big time charlie, but jonny arsenal are at times footballs myth the potiental is not really that deep at arsenal, why I say that is I was hearing this in the 04/05 season and now it is the 08/09 season and still this youth has not come through, you could say united have bags of potiental like foster 25 rafeal evans fabio gibson possebon anderson nani welbeck and about welbeck the way has been taken some of his goals is like henry type goals.

Much as it pains me to say it, Man Utd are the best and best run club side in the world at the moment. As long as the Glazers stay sensible (and in time start paying off that debt rather than just servicing it), Utd are the only sustainable club side in the UK apart form Arsenal which makes the success only more astounding.

Fergie is a great manager...probably not the nicest man to work for if you have opinions that differ from your own, but the way he has transformed the club is as impressive as Wenger. Where indeed he has been more successful is in recognising the limitations of his abilities and bringing in the like of Quirez whos impact was very significant.

As for my lot, our youth orientated policy was relient on a lack of injuries and a stable squad, and neither has happened. We all expected Vieira and Henry to go at some stage, but Campbell's mental collapse, cole lifting his skirts at chelsea, flamini stringing us along and hleb threateing to invoke the webster cause (particualrly given the margins that those sides missed out on trophy's - Barca's fave linesman, and the spectacular combination of injuries and mental deficiency last year) was hard to legislate for, particularly when your annual net transfer budget is about £10m max. I agree that wenger jettisoned some of the older players too soon, but trying to replace that invincible team whilst making a net profit was always going to be tough. With a fully fit squad, we'd probably be second, but last year we lost our strikers, and this year we have 3/4 of our first choice midfield out for months at the same time. The likes of Denilson and Song and Diaby are ok if brought in individually, like GIbson etc flounder with no experience around them.

I have to say though...the removal of the immediate rivalry has allowed me to appreciate your lot more, and fergie's attackign instincts are always to be admired. But I'd like to see how well even he did having sod all money.

PS Isn't it great to see those traditionally rascist, wannabe fashionistas at stamford bridge have a reality check. All it would take was for putin to have a funny turn, and Chelsea's entire existance could be in danger. Equally amusing to see Man city at the mo. Normally you'd feel sorry for them, but after that Kaka nonsense....sod 'em.....